It is no secret that in the current boxing world, the economic component is just as important as what the boxers do in the ring, and it is precisely for this reason that some of the greatest disappointments in the conclusion of some episodes in recent times are arranged or disguised with the sweet spoonful of figures and the dividends left by the fights.
The decision that infuriated the boxing world
Such is the case of the most recent fight on March 1 between Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr. that ended in controversy, after referee Steve Willis did not issue a mandatory count to ‘Tank’ when he voluntarily knelt down, which immediately aroused multiple criticisms and of course accusations.
Tank retained his WBA lightweight title when he really should have lost it against a perplexed Roach who saw the referee not finish the count for Davis, who supposedly had something in his eye, and if he had done so would have ended up counting for the scorecards, thus breaking the majority draw
Days after the controversial decision and the controversial ending to the fight at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center – which recorded its second largest attendance with 19,250 people – the New York State Athletic Commission acknowledged referee Steve Willis’ mistake, but the decision of the fight remained the same, which exacerbated the situation and once again exacerbated tempers.
Pay-per-view numbers save the day
And although it is no consolation to anyone, the encouragement and many negative emotions left by such a decision, today can be handled under the magnifying glass of economic benefit for all parties, as the promotional companies TGB Promotions and Premier Boxing Champions, as well as the boxers did not do badly in economic terms, especially in terms of Pay-Per-View that was released on Prime Video.
Boxing expert Rick Glaser shared on his X account the numbers that today seem to calm the beasts: “The Tank Davis fight against Lamont Roach in PBC achieved just under 150,000 PPV purchases“, and multiplied by $80 per viewing right and not counting piracy, this becomes a success wherever you look at it, although some reports even place it between 500,000 and 550,000 PPV purchases. However, this achievement still pales in comparison to the 275,000 PPV buys from Tank’s last fight with Rolly Romero.
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